Nostalgia seems to be very popular in Washington. While the neocons and Democratic Party hard-liners have succeeded in bringing back the Cold War with Russia, it looks like President Trump is determined to take us back to a replay of the Bay of Pigs!

In Miami on Friday, the president announced that he was slamming the door on one of President Obamaâs few foreign policy successes: easing 50 years of US sanctions on Cuba. The nostalgia was so strong at Trumpâs Friday speech that he even announced participants in the CIAâs disastrous 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba in the audience!

President Trump said Friday that his new policy would be nothing short of âregime changeâ for Cuba. No easing of US sanctions on Cuba, he said, âuntil all political prisoners are freed, freedoms of assembly and expression are respected, all political parties are legalized, and free and internationally supervised elections are scheduled.â

Yes, this is the same Donald Trump who declared as president-elect in December that his incoming Administration would âpursue a new foreign policy that finally learns from the mistakes of the past. We will stop looking to topple regimes and overthrow governments.â Now, in another flip-flop toward the neocons, President Trump is pursuing regime change in Cuba on the pretext of human rights violations.

While the Cuban government may not have a spotless record when it comes to human rights, this is the same President Trump who just weeks ago heaped praise on perhaps the worldâs worst human rights abuser, Saudi Arabia. There, he even participated in a bizarre ceremony to open a global anti-extremism center in the home of state-sponsored extremism!

While President Trump is not overturning all of President Obamaâs Cuba policy reforms â the US Embassy will remain open â he will roll back the liberalization of travel restrictions and make it very difficult for American firms to do business in Cuba. Certainly foreign competitors of US construction and travel companies are thrilled by this new policy, as it keeps American businesses out of the market. How many Americans will be put out of work by this foolish political stunt?

There is a very big irony here. President Trump says that Cubaâs bad human rights record justifies a return to Cuba sanctions and travel prohibitions. But the US government preventing Americans from traveling and spending their own money wherever they wish is itself a violation of basic human rights. Historically it has been only the most totalitarian of regimes that prevent their citizens from traveling abroad. Think of East Germany, the Soviet Union, and North Korea. The US is not at war with Cuba. There is no reason to keep Americans from going where they please.

President Trumpâs shift back to the bad old days on Cuba will not have the desired effect of liberalizing that countryâs political environment. If it did not work for fifty years why does Trump think it will suddenly work today? If anything, a hardening of US policy on Cuba will prevent reforms and empower those who warned that the US could not be trusted as an honest partner. The neocons increasingly have President Trumpâs ear, even though he was elected on promises to ignore their constant calls for war and conflict. How many more flip-flops before his supporters no longer recognize him?

The Globalist, of whom Trump is very much a part, are still pissed-off at the Castro brothers for throwing the Kosher-Nostra (the Jewish Mafia) out of Cuba and confiscating their property for distribution to the poor living in a state of perpetual poverty to the wealthy. They’ll never get over it, with Marco Rubio, representing a 2nd generation of sore losers with an ax to grind.

These buttons register your public Agreement, Disagreement, Troll, or LOL with the selected comment. They are ONLY available to recent, frequent commenters who have saved their Name+Email using the 'Remember My Information' checkbox, and may also ONLY be used once per hour.

Just another Trump F-up in the long line ahead of us. Trump letting the military run the ME is just another in the long line of Trump F-ups we will have to endure. Look for Russia to shoot down our jets over Syria for the latest US military F-up. Did I mention he won’t end DACA because of his big “heart”. Well at least we didn’t have Hillary appointing a Supreme Court judge.

Oh, I always look to Hollywood movies to get my understanding of the world.

But Ron isn't a supporter of Cuban human rights abuses, which he actually says in the article. He just realizes that (i) there is no GENUINE concern for human rights by Trump, and (ii) it doesn't make sense to respond to Cuba's violations of hits citizens rights by violating US citizens' rights.

And you might also bear in mind, the reason that Cuba has such tight security and is so poor is in large part due to US imperialism / intervention (how many attempts on Castro's life?) / sanctions.

Oh, I always look to Hollywood movies to get my understanding of the world.

But Ron isn’t a supporter of Cuban human rights abuses, which he actually says in the article. He just realizes that (i) there is no GENUINE concern for human rights by Trump, and (ii) it doesn’t make sense to respond to Cuba’s violations of hits citizens rights by violating US citizens’ rights.

And you might also bear in mind, the reason that Cuba has such tight security and is so poor is in large part due to US imperialism / intervention (how many attempts on Castro’s life?) / sanctions.

Use of multiple, non-Anonymous handles for commenting on this webzine is strongly discouraged, and your secret (real or fictitious) email allows you to authenticate your commenter-identity, preventing others from assuming it, accidentally or otherwise.

Therefore, keeping your Name+Email combination is important, and the 'Remember' feature saves it for you as a cookie on your device/browser.

Also, activating the 'Remember' feature enables the Agree/Disagree/LOL/Troll buttons on all comments.

Email Replies to my Comment

Body of Comment

Submitted comments become the property of The Unz Review and may be republished elsewhere at the sole discretion of the latter